Succulent Australian Meal: Citizen All Day

Okay, but you have to read the title using you best petulant Australian accent, otherwise this makes no sense.

Transplants from other places have a hierarchy when it comes to claiming the city as their town. The haughtiness in tone is the same no matter who it is, but there are those who can claim it more naturally than others.

You would think actual natives, those born in the city and who have lived here all their life, would be at the top. But this is only by a technicality, those whose parents conceived them or name them in honor of their years at UT are more respected than the babies with Austin as the locale on their birth certificate. That may be more of testament of how much the city hates babies, but also it proves my point.

As someone born in another major city, I wouldn’t want you to think I am biased, but the middle tier (those who moved from a different city within the state) are the true foundational base of this pyramid, followed by Californians, and now finally I propose, Australians.

This is a long intro to say, there is a lot of businesses from different Australian expats and that is why this title works. And everyone knows region specific memes and soundbites are timeless, (hey I heard it made into the government archives that is how historically important to the culture it is, of course that means I should appropriate it). For any Australian owned restaurant or coffee shop, I plan to make my way there and then compare it to the OG in my mind - Hillside Farmacy.

Let’s start with Citizen All Day, it is off of Burnett, a street that I feel is more true to the Austin experience and can be a proving ground for comfort restaurants that the locals will fall in and out of love with. It seems to be in its hyped phase, since it is a breakfast all day establishment. The parking is a bitch, as it is on the corner, and woe to any youthful groups trying to make their way for peak brunch hours on the weekend. It is on the pricer side, and the cars were the type of stereotypical rich tech bro that may make a working class gal nervous to be swinging her hatchback into.

We went on a weekday, early enough to find parking and to be able to get a table outside. This is a place that you may want to reserve in advance to be guaranteed a spot, especially if that matters to you. When we went, the hosting staff confirmed that sitting outside there was no wait. And with the weather, this seemed like the ideal way to experience the restaurant, but from what we saw with other tables maybe not?

Passing storms have dropped the temperature to a livable one. There was a breeze, on the day we went, it was in the low 80s and there were clouds. They have a stretch canopy over the deck, but multiple groups still were worried about the sun and heat and I just have to say its not going to get any more manageable then this.

But with the prices they charge maybe you can be a bit spoiled about eating there. Do not get me wrong, the food was great and the quality has been on the better side when compared to other places I have been. But this recessions has me thinking everyone is greedy. 15 dollars for avocado toast and 7 dollars for a nitro hazelnut latte that is basically a small, what are we in Beverly Hills?! I did not get the avocado toast, I always kind of want to but the price always gets me and no I never make it for myself at home. I did get the coffee and it was divine, but not enough to satisfy the caffeine levels I am downing on a regular basis now.

If I was going to spend that much money on an entrée, I need a protein - so I went with their harissa chicken bowl. It is labeled as a customer favorite on the menu and I can see why. Since Hillside does not have this on their menu, I will compare it to Nando’s in the Mueller area. Citizen All Day brings more flavors to their dish, with a proper harissa taste that comes through, it is balanced by the bouncy couscous, dark kale, pomegranate seeds, nuts, humus, and dates. Not going to lie, I hunted down each of those pomegranate seeds making sure I ate my moneys worth in the bowl. I guess if I am paying I would prefer Citizen All Day.

Aside from stressful parking, a big brekkie, solid drink options, and a joint washroom, the two businesses are different enough that comparing is probably cruel. Of course because of nostalgia and personal ties, Hillside is my preference. But if I had the money and time and nerves to handle the traffic, I would be a Citizen All Day girl.